(CNN) - The bitter fight over nominations resumes Thursday as Senate Republicans appear poised to try and block two of President Obama's appointments, possibly triggering an angry backlash from Democrats.

One is the President's pick to be a judge on the highly influential U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. The other is a Democratic congressman the President wants to head the federal agency that oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

If Republicans succeed in blocking the two, Democrats might carry out a threat to change Senate rules over GOP objections, the so-called "nuclear option," to prevent future filibusters of presidential appointees.

(CNN) - The 34-year-old dental hygienist from Stamford, Connecticut, had just rammed her black luxury car through barricades and into police cruisers near the U.S. Capitol, one of Washington's securest areas.

In the car with Miriam Carey was her year-old daughter.

Police say Carey then sped down Pennsylvania Avenue before crashing. Two law enforcement officers were injured, and officers fatally shot her.

(CNN) - U.S. Capitol Police say an officer was injured in a crash resulting from a car chase from near the White House to Capitol Hill. Police are working two accident locations, 1st and Constitution Avenue and 2nd and Maryland Avenue. The officer was hurt at the first intersection and was transported to a hospital.

(CNN) - Sen. Jeff Flake is having a good year: He was sworn into the Senate. He spent a week marooned on a deserted island with his sons. And now the Republican is considered one of the 50 most beautiful people in the Beltway.

The Washington news outlet The Hill published its tenth annual list on Wednesday. The publication notes Flake's famously youthful appearance and healthy lifestyle choices - he's known for his love for spear fishing, sometimes without a shirt - as well as his participation in the so-called Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group of senators that led to the passage of immigration reform this year in the Senate.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) – The arrival of Prince Harry on Capitol Hill Thursday prompted what appeared to be a mass exodus of women from their congressional offices, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the third-in-line to the British throne.

Harry's visit to the Russell Senate Office Building was the first official stop on his nearly week-long tour of the United States, which will highlight the military charities that the prince, himself an Army helicopter pilot, has chosen to patronize.FULL POST

(UPDATE 12:49 p.m. ET)
The Capitol Police have alerted Senate staffers the situation involving a suspicious package has been resolved.

"The U.S. Capitol Police have removed the suspicious package from the Hart Senate Office Building and the envelopes from the third floors of the Hart and Russell Senate Office Buildings. The areas are now open," the agency wrote in an email.

(UPDATE 12:24 p.m. ET)
Authorities are investigating a suspicious letter at the office of Sen. Carl Levin in Saginaw, Michigan. "Earlier today, a staffer at my Saginaw regional office received a suspicious-looking letter," Levin said in a statement. "The letter was not opened, and the staffer followed the proper protocols for the situation, including alerting the authorities, who are now investigating. We do not know yet if the mail presented a threat."

(UPDATE 12:08 p.m. ET)
The man carrying a bag of letters who is being questioned by Capitol police is not believed to be connected to a letter possibly containing ricin found in a Senate mailroom and an apparently similar letter sent to President Obama, a federal law enforcement official told CNN. The man being questioned is described as emotionally disturbed, the official said.

(UPDATE 12:00 p.m. ET)
Capitol Hill Police are questioning a man with a backpack in the area of the Hart Senate Office Building. He raised suspicions with the contents of his backpack and the way he responded to police questions, two Capitol Hill police officers told CNN. The man's backpack contained sealed envelopes, one of the officers said. The backpack is being X-rayed, one of the officers said.

(POSTED 11:43 a.m. ET)
U.S. Capitol Police are evacuating the first floor of the Hart Senate Office Building due to a suspicious package. People on other floors of the building are being told to go into their offices. Separately, there is a suspicious envelope at the office of Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, in the Russell Senate Office Building. Security has cleared the hall but is not officially evacuating.

(CNN) - With President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner giving no signs that a solution to avert the so-called fiscal cliff is imminent, legislators are being warned to stick around Washington.

They may even be asked to do something drastic: work through the weekend.FULL POST

New York (CNNMoney) - Debt reduction may be consuming Capitol Hill these days, but lawmakers have a number of pricey budget decisions to make before the year's out.

Unless Congress steps in, come January payments to Medicare doctors will be slashed by nearly 30%. Workers' payroll tax cut will expire. And federal unemployment benefits will end for close to 2 million jobless workers.